


warmed by your side

by stupidbadgers



Category: Naruto
Genre: Discord: Umino Hours, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insomnia, M/M, Minor Angst, Umino Hours Winter Bingo, kakashi is a good boyfriend, warm blankets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28015266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidbadgers/pseuds/stupidbadgers
Summary: Iruka smiled at him. He was always hoping Iruka was getting more sleep, making sure Iruka ate more than just ramen and take-out, making sure Iruka took care of himself as much as he took care of everyone else. And Iruka loved Kakashi for it.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 3
Kudos: 114
Collections: The Umino Hours Winter Bingo 2020





	warmed by your side

**Author's Note:**

> ~~i'm not projecting onto iruka. the cold hands of insomnia are _definitely_ not reaching for me again.~~
> 
> another winter bingo fic!! 
> 
> bingo board prompt: warm blankets (R-1)
> 
> enjoy~

On the best of nights, Iruka got four or five hours of sleep at most. On the worst, he didn’t sleep at all. 

Insomnia had been one enemy he had been battling since he was a kid. It had started the week after his parents had died and never got better. Iruka had learned to manage it as well as he could. 

On nights that Kakashi was home and tucked around him, lanky body intertwined with Iruka’s, he usually slept longer, though never straight through. It had baffled and irritated him when he realized that sleeping next to the other man allowed him to sleep peacefully, for a longer chunk of time; he didn’t want to be reliant on another for something his body should do naturally. He tried to figure out what about Kakashi made Iruka sleep better, but it wasn’t until a conversation with Genma that made him realize what it was. 

Iruka felt safe with Kakashi. 

It made him reflect and he realized that it made more sense than he cared to admit. Of course, after his parents died, he had lost the protection they had granted him; Iruka had lost everything. The insomnia formed as a messed sort of self-preservation, a defense mechanism. If he was awake, he couldn’t be caught off guard, couldn’t be attacked unaware. 

_And how messed up was it that his brain had determined that at such a young age?_ he had thought at the time of the conversation with Genma. 

But with Kakashi, he felt protected, like as long as he had Kakashi cuddled around him, he could let his guard down enough to sleep peacefully. 

And he did most nights, getting that blissful five hours. 

But not tonight. 

No, tonight was a case of two hours and awake. Kakashi was gone on a mission, had been for several days now. 

Iruka was tired, but he was not sleeping. Instead he sat up at the kotatsu, tucked under the warm blanket with his hands wrapped around a mug of tea and a book. The wind blew, rattling the window and an icy draft ruffled Iruka’s dark hair. He had left it down, hoping to keep his neck warm from the chill. 

He had decided to read a couple chapters of his current book before laying back down to catch an hour of at least dozing before getting up for the day to face the horde of mini-nin he taught. 

When Kakashi had found out just how little Iruka slept, he had looked horrified. Iruka had tried to assuage Kakashi, that is, until Kakashi blurted out, “How do the ankle biters not kill you? Your reaction time must be awful from sleep deprivation!” 

Iruka had blinked at him, caught off guard by the outburst before bursting into laughter. 

“Kakashi,” he had said, “I’ve been dealing with this most of my life. I’ve learned to adjust and make accommodations where necessary. I power nap on lunch and after the school day, unless I have a shift at the mission desk. And my reaction time is perfectly fine, thank you very much. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.” 

Kakashi had taken him up on that offer and they had sparred two days later; Iruka very nearly won, though he wasn’t sure if it was from his skill with seals, traps, and barriers or from Kakashi being very obviously distracted by Iruka without his shirt on. 

Iruka closed his book, setting it aside and sliding out from under the warmth of the kotatsu. He switched it off, standing and gathering his tea mug, turning out the light, and slipped into the kitchen. The mug could be washed in the morning with the rest of his breakfast dishes, he decided. 

As he moved silently back through his flat to the bedroom, the front window slid open quietly. In the darkness, Kakashi’s pale skin and hair gleamed, the moonlight catching it before a cloud moved to cover the light. 

Iruka paused his stride, waiting for Kakashi to close the window and turn around, watching to see if the man had any injuries. He didn’t see anything to denote there was. 

“Welcome home,” he said quietly. 

Kakashi looked up, not startled, though maybe a little surprised. “Oh, you are awake. I was hoping you would be sleeping.” 

Iruka smiled at him. He was always hoping Iruka was getting more sleep, making sure Iruka ate more than just ramen and take-out, making sure Iruka took care of himself as much as he took care of everyone else. And Iruka loved Kakashi for it. 

“I was just going back to bed. You going to join me?” Iruka asked, his tone tilting suggestively. Kakashi was already striding across the room to Iruka, mask pulled down. One hand settled on Iruka’s hip while the other cupped his cheek. 

“Are you propositioning me, Iruka-sensei?” 

Iruka laughed, “Maybe I am. Just don’t tell my boyfriend, he can be possessive.” 

Kakashi growled, kissing Iruka until his head swam from lack of oxygen. When they finally broke apart, both were breathing hard. Iruka tilted his head, running his nose along Kakashi’s stubbled jaw. 

“Missed you,” he murmured. 

Kakashi hummed, wrapping both arms around Iruka now, pulling him close. Iruka snuggled into him, happy to have Kakashi back home, uninjured and in good spirits. This didn’t happen as often as Iruka would like. 

“I missed you, too,” Kakashi replied, his lips brushing the side of Iruka’s head. He placed soft kisses against Iruka’s hair, inhaling deeply. 

Iruka shivered, both from the contact and from the cold. Winter was settling into Konoha and their apartment. 

“Cold, sensei?” Kakashi asked, nosing Iruka’s ear before kissing down his neck, making Iruka shiver again. “Perhaps we should go warm up in bed?” 

“Kakashi,” Iruka scolded, though the words held no bite. “You just got home from a mission. You need a shower and you need sleep.” 

“Maa, but sensei,” Kakashi pouted. 

Iruka slipped from Kakashi’s arms, tugging his hand toward the bathroom. “Shower. Then sleep.” 

Kakashi narrowed his eye. “Of all the people to lecture me about sleep,” he muttered. 

Iruka cast him a withering look before pushing him into the bathroom, closing the door on the jounin as he said something that sounded suspiciously like “care to join me?” 

The sounds of clothes rustling into the laundry bin and faucets turning on appeased Iruka. He turned back to the bedroom, ready to sleep another hour. 

Kakashi wasted no time with his shower, crawling into the bed not fifteen minutes later. Iruka was already well on his way to sleep, but was conscious enough to curl into Kakashi’s side after the other man was settled. 

“Warmed the blankets for you,” Iruka muttered. “You’re always cold after showers.” 

Kakashi laughed quietly, his arms settling around a very warm Iruka. 

“Sleep now, my love,” Kakashi said, kissing Iruka’s forehead. “I’ll be warm by your side.” 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! 
> 
> [tumblr](https://stupidbadgers.tumblr.com)


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